Havana History and Architecture of a Romantic City

by Montalvo, Maria Luisa Lobo; Thomas, Hugh; Fox, Lorna S.

• ISBN13: 9781580930529
• ISBN10: 1580930522
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-10-01
• Publisher: The Monacelli Press

Summary

Havana, the legendary capital of Cuba, bears the traces of every stage of the island's rich history, from its indigenous traditions to the introduction of European culture in the late fifteenth century to the development of the unique amalgam of these influences that is unmistakably Cuban. In this exquisite volume, author Maria Luisa Lobo Montalvo presents the architecture and history of Havanapart of which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Sitein an accessible and engaging text and specially commissioned color photographs. Among the structures featured are the famed great forts such as Castillo del Morro and Castillo de la Punta, the city's oldest extant structures; an array of houses, from all periods of Havana's history and in all styles, simultaneously offering architectural and cultural history; and the great churches, including the Church of La Merced and the great baroque Havana Cathedral, and institutional structures, such as the magnificent Palace of the Captains General, showing the public face of Havana at its most resplendent. Discussions of each phase of the city's development are accompanied by detailed case studies of the period's most significant buildings, which include the architectural history and heritage of each structure as well as comprehensive new and archival documentation, including photographs, prints, paintings, and historical artifacts. Throughout her presentation of the buildings, Lobo Montalvo reveals the unique expression of design and decorative elements, customs and traditions that characterize the architecture of Havana.

Author Biography

Marfa Luisa Lobo Montalvo, daughter of Cuban sugar magnate Julio Lobo Olavarr?a, had a deep passion for her homeland which was reflected in all aspects of her life and continued throughout her years of exile. Among her many cultural activities were film production, writing, and lecturing. Lobo Montalvo died in 1998, at the age of sixty-three, shortly after completing the manuscript for Havana: History and Architecture of a Romantic City.

Table of Contents

Prologue	13	(3)
Hugh Thomas
Introduction: My Faraway, Lost World	16	(16)
Romantic Origins	32	(8)
A Villa Is Born	40	(246)
The Key to the New World	46	(12)
Castillo de la Real Fuerza	50	(2)
Castillo del Morro and Castillo de la Punta	52	(2)
Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana	54	(4)
The Antechamber of the Indies	58	(14)
117--119 Obispo Street	64	(1)
Obrapia Corner with San Ignacio	65	(1)
12 Tacon Street	66	(2)
Convent of Santa Clara	68	(2)
Church of Espiritu Santo	70	(2)
The City of Palaces	72	(46)
Casa de la Obrapia	82	(4)
Casa del Conde de San Juan Jaruco	86	(4)
Casa del Marques de Arcos	90	(2)
Casa del Marques de Aguas Claras	92	(2)
Palacio de Correos (Palacio del Segundo Cabo)	94	(2)
Palacio de los Capitanes Generales	96	(4)
Casa de Mateo Pedroso	100	(4)
Casa del Conde de la Reunion de Cuba	104	(2)
Church and Convent of Nuestra Senora de Belen	106	(2)
Church and Monastery of San Francisco de Asis	108	(6)
Havana Cathedral	114	(1)
Plaza de la Catedral	115	(1)
Church of La Merced	116	(2)
The Foremost City in Spanish America	118	(32)
El Templete	130	(1)
Casa de los Marqueses de la Real Proclamacion	131	(1)
Palacio del Marques de Almendares (Palacio Zuazo)	132	(1)
Palacio de Aldama	133	(5)
Quinta de los Molinos	138	(2)
Quinta de los Condes de Santovenia	140	(4)
Quinta de Dona Luisa Herrera	144	(2)
Casa del Marques de Pinar del Rio	146	(2)
Casa de Jose Melgares	148	(2)
The City of Columns	150	(34)
Casa Conill	158	(2)
Palacio de Balboa	160	(4)
Palacio de la Marquesa de Villalba (Casa More)	164	(2)
Hotel Inglaterra	166	(4)
The Cigar Factories of Pedro Murias and Calixto Lopez	170	(2)
Church of Santo Angel Custodio (Iglesia del Angel)	172	(1)
Irioja Theater (Teatro Marti)	173	(1)
358 Reina Street	174	(1)
Casa de la Familia Gonzalez Curquejo	175	(1)
Casa de Francisco Lopez Garcia	176	(1)
Casa de Cosme Blanco Heriera	177	(1)
Colon Cemetery	178	(4)
Pavilion of the Albear Aqueduct	182	(2)
The Garden City	184	(74)
Dionisio Velasco Residence	194	(1)
Casa de Damaso Gutierrez	195	(1)
Masia l'Ampurda	196	(4)
Palacio de la Condesa de Revilla de Camargo	200	(8)
Casa de Alfonso Gomez Mena	208	(2)
La Dolce Dimora	210	(1)
Casa de Juan de Pedro y Baro y Catalina de Lasa	211	(5)
Casa de Pablo Gonzalez de Mendoza	216	(2)
Casa de Eduardo Montalvo	218	(2)
Casa de Marcos Pollack y Carmen Casuso	220	(4)
Quinta Palatino	224	(6)
Centro de Dependientes	230	(2)
Centro Gallego	232	(6)
Centro Asturiano	238	(4)
Quinta Covadonga	242	(1)
Casino Espanol	243	(1)
Gardens of the Tropical Brewery	244	(1)
Hotel Plaza	245	(3)
Hotel Nacional	248	(4)
Presidential Palace	252	(2)
National Capitol	254	(2)
Havana University	256	(2)
Tradition and Modernity	258	(28)
Havana University Library	266	(1)
Marianao Workers' Maternity Hospital	267	(1)
Tropicana Cabaret	268	(2)
Bacardi Building	270	(2)
Lopez Serrano Building	272	(2)
Casa de Eutimio Falla Bonet	274	(1)
Casa de Jose Noval Cueto	275	(1)
Casa de Luis Humberto Vidana and Evangelina Aristigueta	276	(1)
Casa de Ana Carolina Font and Rufino Alvarez	277	(3)
Casa de Eloisa Lezama Lima and Orlando Alvarez	280	(1)
Casa Ingelmo	281	(1)
Baracoa Chapel	282	(1)
Schools of Modern Dance and Visual Arts	283	(3)
Beyond Havana	286	(17)
Epilogue	303	(3)
Notes	306	(6)
Bibliography	312	(4)
Maps	316	(2)
Index	318